Looking for investment chances? Focus on 23rd Primer Demoday

Primer, founded in 2010, stands as a pioneering startup accelerator in South Korea. Over the course of 14 years, it has not only invested in and incubated startups but also provided comprehensive support through mentoring, networking, and promotional programs. Recently, in the latter half of 2023 Primer organized a demo day for the startups it had backed, which took place at ST Center on March 13, 2024.

The selection criteria for Primer’s startup investment partners revolve around three key principles: prioritizing management over mere financial gains, valuing authenticity over raw talent, and emphasizing principles over past experience. Leveraging its accumulated knowledge and investment track record, Primer has successfully nurtured several prominent startups in the South Korean ecosystem, achieving significant returns on its investments. Notable examples include Dailyhotel, acquired by Yanolja, a leading travel accommodation platform, and Styleshare, acquired by MUSINSA, a major player in the fashion e-commerce sector.

Douglas Guen(CEO), underscores Primer’s approach, emphasizing that the essence of business lies in addressing the specific needs of individual people rather than merely solving broader market or industry challenges. Against this backdrop, the 23rd demo day showcased a diverse array of startups poised to make an impact in their respective fields.

Douglas Guen pitched “Primer’s focus is on discovery. We unearth startup founders from the shadows and uncover profitable business models. Primer invests in potential profit-making business models, even if they don’t fall into trendy categories or have no overseas precedents. While Primer values startup performance, investor relations (IR) materials, and founder communication, I believe that when investing in early-stage entrepreneurs, it’s essential to consider their self-esteem, societal perspective, imagination, and dreams. As an accelerator, Primer dreams alongside its partners. Pioneering founders carve out their domains and believe that there are opportunities for successful businesses within those domains. They work alongside founders as peers, striving to build and grow their businesses together.”

of 23rd Demoday Pitching Startup list

○ GenIP, an AI Specification Writer for Patent Attorneys, ○ Cremit, an All-in-One Security Solution for Security Teams, ○ Ordercheck, an Interior Construction Platform, ○ Wonderslab, a Business-specific AI Assistant, ○ REMETAL, a Recycled Metal Supply Platform, ○ Plfil, in Korean Profile, a Casting Service for Actors, ○ Coffeeting, a Service for Arranging 50-minute Coffee Meetups, ○ Gongjangjang (Realizable), in Korean In charge of factory, a Digital Factory Management Service, ○ BCTO(EXTORY), a SaaS for Development Team Management, ○ Curious(Mission-driven), Platform for Senior Leisure Activities, ○ Visaflo, a Turvotax for IMM Form.

*This list represents the startups pitching at the event. **Service name(company name)